Via the Oregonian:

Oregon opened another chapter in U.S. marijuana history when at 4:20 p.m. Friday, about three dozen people christened the nation's first cafe for licensed residents to sit down, sip coffee and smoke marijuana.

...Excited patrons spilled down the outside steps at 700 N.E. Dekum St. as the cafe prepared to open at the appointed hour -- "420" being slang for using marijuana. In line were military veterans, grandmothers, young workers, men and women, old and young, black, white and Latino.

The Los Angeles City Council today rejected a proposal to ban sales of medical marijuana. And in Colorado, Attorney General John Suthers issued a legal opinion that medical marijuana sales are subject to taxation, and dispensaries must obtain a sales tax license.

Via DougJ, I'm pretty sure Mark Shields is joking about his desire for "manly men"

Say no more. Know what I mean?

Open thread insinuated here.

Did Bill Belicheck make the right call last night? For those who missed it, New England led the Colts 34-28 with 2:11 to go. On 4th and 2 at the NE 28, Belicheck decided to go for it instead of punting.

The argument for Belicheck takes the view that the Pats had about a 60% chance of making the first down (and sealing the game) and failing on the attempt provided the Colts a 53% chance of scoring a touchdown - giving the Pats a 79% chance of winning using Belicheck's alternative as opposed to punting, where the Colts would have had a 30% chance of scoring and winning (or a 70% chance of the Pats winning.) By this measure, Belicheck improved the Pats' chance of winning by 9%.

Here's my problem with these numbers - this was not an average "4th and 2" (For good and bad - Brady is obviously better than the average QB, the Colts would sell out to stop the conversion as opposed to a 4 and 2 at midfield in the 1st quarter, etc.) The numbers of much more interest, if they are available, are the specific results of the Pats and the Colts in the relevant scenarios - conversions on 4th down in similar situations, Colts' success in the last 2 minutes needing a TD, Pats defensive success in stopping 2 minutes drives, etc. "Historic numbers" involving all teams are not particularly relevant imo to the decision Belicheck had to make. Without knowing those numbers, it seems impossible to evaluate the Belicheck decision (of course, having failed on the 4th down and having the Colts score the winning TD, we can all say he should have punted, but that is not evaluating his decision.)

This is an Open Thread.

Busy day ahead.

This is an Open Thread.

There's The Next Iron Chef, Desperate Housewives and Brothers and Sisters tonight. Am I missing anything? Whoops, Sunday Night Football.

Here's an open thread, all topics welcome, TV related or not.

Where are Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's wife and sons? What is the name of his wife? Were the children really brought to the U.S. for questioning or were they kept in detention in Pakistan, Afhanistan or elsewhere? Were they tortured? Were they ever released? Who got the reward for KSM's capture?

Back in 2003, when Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was captured, there were varying reports on his capture and the seizure and detention of his children. In 2004, Amnesty International wrote this open letter to Pakistan President Musharraf inquiring as to their whereabouts (See page 11.)

The timeline appears to go like this: [More...]

While the focus on Guantanamo this week has been on the 10 who will be charged in federal court or military commission trials, the AP today has a report on the 15 Judges of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia who have been holding habeas hearings for the Guantanamo detainees not charged with crimes. The hearings have been ongoing as a result of the Supreme Court's decision that detainees have the right to challenge their detention and conditions of confinement. So far, 30 have been ordered released, and 8 have been ordered detained. The scorecard is here.

• Total Habeas Cases Decided: 38
• Habeas Cases Granted: 30
• Habeas Cases Denied: 8
• Habeas Granted and Released: 18
• Habeas Granted and Still Detained: 12
• Current Guantanamo Population: 215

The court's public website for the cases is here. Some ruling excerpts:

I do not know if it says more about me or the current political environment, but I used to feature a Sunday Talk open thread, and now I feature a Sunday football open thread. In any event, I don't watch Sunday Talk anymore, but I do watch Sunday football. I think most football fans will be watching the Sunday night game - the Colts vs. the Pats. Brady v. Manning. Etc.

I like the Colts (-2.5). In the other big game, the Steelers (-7) host the surprising Bengals. 7 seems too much. I'll take Cincy (+7).

The Cowboys (-3) travel to Lambeau to face the Packers. I feel some bounce back in Green Bay. Give me the Pack (+3). Finally, I like Washington (+3.5) and Tampa Bay (+10).

This is an Open Thread.

The Bureau of Prisons may buy Thomson Correctional Center, about 150 miles from Chicago, and use it to house the remaining Guantanamo detainees. Officals will be visiting Monday.

Officials from the department of Defense, Justice and Homeland Security, and the federal Bureau of Prisons will be will be visiting the maximum-security Thomson Correctional Center, about 150 miles west of Chicago, on Monday, the officials said.

... If the Bureau of Prisons purchases the site, it would operate primarily as a federal prison and a portion of it would be leased to the Defense Department to house the Guantanamo detainees, the official said.

[More...]

It's really coming down now. Huge, wet snowflakes. And the snow is going to continue until tomorrow late afternoon. I've got a good book (Shantaram ....."Crime and punishment, passion and loyalty, betrayal and redemption are only a few of the ingredients" ) and I'm looking forward to the down time.

Here's an open thread for you, all topics welcome.

Think Progress reports that Sarah Palin has weighed in on her Facebook page decrying the Obama Administration's decision to try the 9/11 suspects in federal court. She laments that criminal defense attorneys will use "technicalities" to try to get them off.

Criminal defense attorneys will now enter into delaying tactics and other methods in the hope of securing some kind of win for their “clients.” The trial will afford Mohammed the opportunity to grandstand and make use of his time in front of the world media to rally his disgusting terrorist cohorts.

...It is crucially important that Americans be made aware that the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks may walk away from this trial without receiving just punishment because of a “hung jury” or from any variety of court room technicalities. If we are stuck with this terrible Obama Administration decision, I, like most Americans, hope that Mohammed and his co-conspirators are convicted. Hang ‘em high.

So lawyers who protect constitutional rights are engaging in "courtroom technicalities." And there's no need to wait for a verdict, in Palin's view, she's ready to "hang 'em high." [More...]

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano yesterday said the Obama Administration is ready to move forward with plans to create a path to citizenship for the undocumented.

Under the administration’s plan, illegal immigrants who hope to gain legal status would have to register, pay fines and all taxes they owe, pass a criminal background check and learn English.

.... “Let me emphasize this: we will never have fully effective law enforcement or national security as long as so many millions remain in the shadows,” she said, adding that the recovering economy would be strengthened “as these immigrants become full-paying taxpayers.”

Unfortunately, Napolitano continued to express support for local enforcement of federal laws and other stricter enforcement procedures. More on her speech is available at the Center for American Progress, including a video of her remarks.